FSU's First Orange Bowl Game

By Jim Joanos

In its football history, Florida State has played in 50 post season "bowl games." Eighteen of those games have been in what would be considered the traditionally major bowl games (the Orange, Rose, Sugar, and Cotton). FSU has won ten of those games. It did not win the first two. This story is about the first one of those games in a "big time" bowl game.

FSU had an 8-3 football season in 1978. Despite being snubbed by the bowl game committees, spirits were high in Tallahassee as the 1979 season began. It would go well for the Seminoles. They won all eleven of their regular season games. At home they won against Southern Mississippi, 14-3, then in Tampa against Arizona State, 31-3, at home versus Miami, 40-23, at Virginia Tech, 17-10, at Louisville, 27-0, home against Mississippi State, 17-6, at LSU, 24-19, at Cincinnati, 26-21, home versus South Carolina, 27-7, at Memphis State, 66-17, and at Florida, 27-16. Although they managed to win them all, on several occasions, FSU had found itself behind late in the game but managed to score, almost miraculously, and win in the end.

As a result, undefeated FSU, the newcomer to the "big time" was ranked number four and matched up to play traditional power-house Oklahoma on January 1, 1980, in the Orange Bowl Game. The Sooners had compiled a 10-1 regular season record and were ranked among the top teams. FSU fans were elated. Never had the FSU team done as well. Confidence ran very high in Tallahassee as preparations were being made for what was the most important FSU game in history to this point. Lots of folks made plans to get to Miami for the event. As it would turn out the game itself would not go well but for me and my wife, Betty Lou, that trip to the Orange Bowl turned out to be a wonderful experience.

We had served in several FSU alumni activities. As a result, we had been invited by FSU's president, Dr. Bernard Sliger to be part of FSU's official group to represent the university at the numerous official Orange Bowl events. Never before or after have we been treated so special at a sports event.

As part of the official group, we checked into the same hotel where the team was staying. We were greeted by several members of the committee that had been designated to assist us during our time there. We were introduced to the "hospitality room" that would be available to us. Throughout the time that we would be there between and after other events we could go to that lounge like room for snacks and beverages or to visit with others. It was sort of like headquarters for the group.

There were a number of special events. Among them were a couple of sit-down dinners. One of them was a banquet that both teams and their staffs and official groups attended. It was held in the hotel's main ballroom and featured several community officials who officially welcomed us. One day we were loaded into cars and driven to the harbor where we boarded a boat that took us out in the bay to one of the cluster of party houses up on stilts where we enjoyed a nice meal. On another day, the men of our group were taken to a horse track where we had a special room to enjoy watching the races. At the same time, the women of the group were escorted to shop at some special shops downtown. On the night before the game, we had special seats to watch the Orange Bowl parade, which included numerous marching bands and floats. Our seats were located at the point where the participants in the parade would pause and perform for national television.

On game night we went to the stadium and found our way to our seats located in the middle of the field a few rows behind the FSU team. We got there early so as to enjoy the pregame activities. In our seating area where the "official party" was seated there were also some special dignitaries. Among them we were surprised to see the actress Sally Field and her two sons. Burt Reynolds was down in front of us on the sideline with the team. The two of them had starred in the hit movie comedy, "Smokey and the Bandit."

The game itself got off to a good start for FSU. The Seminoles scored first on a run by Michael Whiting so that at the end of the first quarter we led 7-0. That would be it for FSU. Oklahoma dominated the rest of the night scoring two touchdowns and a field goal in the second quarter and another touchdown in the fourth to finish FSU off, 24-7. FSU's heralded passing attack led by dual quarterbacks, Jimmy Jordan and Wally Woodham, so good all season long, had been held to a total of one hundred yards. Rushing was no better as the Seminoles had likewise been limited to 82 yards total.

While it did not end the way we wanted, it was a historic night for FSU football, as the team had reached the world of the major bowl games. The next year FSU would make it back to the Orange Bowl and, ironically, lose to Oklahoma again, but this time Oklahoma had to come from behind and score in the last minute or so to win 18-17.

After those first two losses, FSU has appeared in 16 more of the "big-four" traditional bowl games and won ten of them. When you sum it up, the Seminoles have done very, very well in the "big games" at the end of the season. It began that night in Miami on January 1, 1980. It was tough to see FSU lose but in looking back I still feel very honored to have been a part of FSU's first major bowl game.

About the author:

Jim Joanos

Memories of Garnet and Gold

We lost Judge Joanos on January 20, 2024. After going through his FSU papers, I found this article which had not yet been published.

Jim Joanos had deep roots at Florida State University. An avid sports fan, he had literally seen, and done, it all. Fortunately for us, Jim loved telling first-hand accounts dating back to FSU s first football game, a 1947 clash with the Stetson Hatters on Centennial Field, where Cascades Park is today.

Jim and his wife, Betty Lou, who was Associate Director of the FSU Alumni Association (1991-2003), had been married 66 years and are each listed as one of FSU's 100 Distinguished Graduates. The couple were enshrined in the FSU Hall of Fame in 2015 as Moore-Stone Award Recipients. Ironically, both Deans Moore and Stone were instrumental in the Joanoses career development.

"Both Jim and Betty Lou Joanos have been exemplary fans and supporters of Florida State University, both academically and athletically," said Andy Miller, retired President and CEO of Seminole Boosters, Inc. "You couldn't have gone to an athletic event of any kind that you wouldn't have seen both Jim and Betty Lou Joanos together. They loved their university as much as they loved each other."